Intermediate age rangatahi (young people) from across our diocese joined together on the weekend for a whirlwind 24 hours packed with laughs, worship, sunshine, trampolines, and everything in between!

The camp, held at Foxton Bible Camp, is one of the only times in the year that this cohort of our rangatahi get together. “Festival events like these help our rangatahi feel connected to the wider movement,” said Tama Bucknell, AYM Wellington Coordinator. “We had a number of kids at camp that don’t have a youth group of their own, so it’s great that we can include them.”

The weather was perfect on Saturday afternoon for Top Town. Fancy surfing down a waterslide on an airbed? Or sack racing in a sack with three other people? The youth groups were split up across four elemental teams (Air, Water, Earth and Fire) and rotated around each event. What better way to get to know new people than teaming up to defeat your opposition in a bunch of crazy games?

On Saturday night the kids watched the movie ‘Wonder’ which was the focus of the rest of camp. Rangatahi were encouraged to wonder about the big questions - what will college be like, why do bad things happen, what am I having for dinner - because wonders help us go deeper with God. They challenge us to think, which makes us stronger. Wonders help to remind us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

One of the campers said, “The film Wonder made me think. Just because someone looks different, it doesn’t affect their personality or how they would help people.”

Another camper took home a rock with the word ‘courage’ written on it as a reminder to work at being courageous, like Auggie was in the movie.

Some of the camp highlights include:

• “Doing the SKID OF GLORY (sliding down the zip line in my pyjamas holding the cross bar at the bottom so I pretty much got soaked)!”

• “Watching someone get tricked by an ‘ice cream sandwich’ which actually had toothpaste in the middle. It was so funny, we had to try one ourselves.”

• “Running around in the Among Us costume.”

• “Standing up and switching around while travelling on the zip line.”

• “The workshops made me think. The people made me laugh and top town is top highlight even though we lost!”

• “Seeing all the kids have fun with their leaders and each other, and enjoying themselves.”

Zoe Lewis from Johnsonville reflects, “Camp is a magical part of our journey with Jesus as it helps us reconnect with our commitments and learn about God in a new way. Overall, it was great to reconnect with groups across the Diocese over a shared experience. These camps are our 'drink stations' for the marathon we are collectively running, so we really value the chance to attend despite a challenging few years!”

Intermediate Camp is an annual event in the AYM Wellington calendar. If you want to find out more about it or what is on locally for intermediate age kids, talk to your youth leader, or contact tama@aymwellington.nz.